Marvel Cinematic Universe
The first set of movies introduces the main universe in which the films are set, as well as core characters such as Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Nick Fury, and organizations such as S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA. Many of the films in Phase One focus on the Tesseract, an alien artifact that is later established to contain one of the six Infinity Stones. The final film, The Avengers, involves the villains Loki and Thanos allying to steal the Tesseract and conquer Earth, leading to the formation of the Avengers. The second phase focuses on the post-Battle of New York exploits of the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D., and also introduces more heroes, including Falcon, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Ant-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy (consisting of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon and Groot) and further explains the origin of the Infinity Stones. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the terrorist group HYDRA is revealed to have been operating within S.H.I.E.L.D., resulting in the agency's collapse. Now acting without assistance from S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers work solo in order to bring down HYDRA, but unintentionally spawn a more dangerous adversary in the form of the hostile artificial intelligence, Ultron. Phase One Captain America: The First Avenger In the present day, researchers in the Arctic Circle uncover the buried wreckage of a large, wing-shaped aircraft. While investigating the aircraft's interior, two of the researchers discover a frozen, circular object with a red, white and blue motif. In March 1942, HYDRA forces led by Johann Schmidt invade a stone church in Tønsberg, Norway, seeking a mysterious cosmic artifact known as the Tesseract, which possesses untold powers. Upon discovering the true Tesseract, Schmidt has the Church Keeper who guarded it killed, along with everyone else in the village. In 1943, Steve Rogers is once again rejected for military duty on the battlefields of World War II, despite making multiple attempts at different enlistment offices, due to his frail physical appearance and numerous health issues. While attending Stark Expo with Bucky Barnes, Rogers attempts to enlist again. After overhearing Rogers' conversation with Barnes about wanting to help in the war, Abraham Erskine allows Rogers to enlist as a candidate for Project Rebirth, a "super-soldier" experiment being conducted by the Strategic Scientific Reserve under the supervision of Erskine, Chester Phillips, and Peggy Carter. During basic training, Phillips is unconvinced by Erskine's claims that Rogers is the right person for the procedure, but relents after seeing Rogers commit an act of self-sacrificing bravery. The night before the treatment, Erskine reveals to Rogers that Schmidt underwent an imperfect version of the procedure and suffered negative side-effects due to his inner ambition for power and obsession with becoming a "superior man". However, he reassures Rogers that he chose him because he believed Rogers was an inherently good man and one that, because he had been weak his whole life, would not lose respect for the strength he would gain. Back in Europe, Schmidt and Arnim Zola, using one of his machines, successfully harness the energies of the Tesseract, intending to use the power to fuel Zola's inventions. Meanwhile, Schmidt, having discovered Erskine's location, dispatches an assassin to kill him. In New York City, Erskine subjects Rogers to the super-soldier treatment, putting him in a special chamber where he is injected with the Super Soldier Serum and dosed with "vita-rays". Rogers emerges from the chamber taller and with an enhanced physique. After witnessing the success of the experiment, one of the attendees reveals himself to be Schmidt's assassin, Heinz Kruger, who shoots Erskine, killing him. Kruger grabs the last vial of the Super-Soldier Serum and escapes the facility into the streets of New York. Rogers runs after Kruger, using his new strength and stamina to run down Kruger's car on foot. Despite attempting to escape in a submarine, Rogers manages to catch Kruger, but the vial of Super Soldier Serum is broken in the process and the assassin immediately commits suicide by cyanide pill before he can be interrogated for information. With Erskine dead and the super-soldier formula lost, the SSR is ordered to join the war and engage HYDRA directly; however, Philips decides to leave Rogers behind and allow scientists to study him in an attempt to rediscover Erskine's formula. Senator Brandt approaches Rogers and instead offers him the chance to tour the nation for the USO to promote war donations, using his image as the strong, ideal soldier as a symbol for the public to rally behind, which Rogers accepts. During his work for the USO Rogers perform in scripted stage shows as the star-spangled character "Captain America". As Rogers continues touring across the country Captain America gains great popularity among the public, leading to increasingly more elaborate shows as well as making appearances in film strips, comic books, and other memorabilia. Eventually, Rogers begins to grow weary of being paraded around while not being able to have a more direct role alongside those actively fighting in the war. Meanwhile, Schmidt unveils his new Tesseract-powered weaponry to three Nazi officers sent to oversee his operation but uses the weapon to kill the officers after they realize that Germany is among a list of Schmidt’s intended targets. Schmidt uses this moment to declare his secession from the Third Reich, claiming that HYDRA could grow no further in Adolf Hitler's shadow and will now follow his agenda. HYDRA continued to siphon energy from the Tesseract, using the stored energy to create a variety of weapons and integrated it into a range of vehicles and other technology, quickly giving the faction the potential to become a major threat to the war front, and the world at large. While on tour in Italy performing for active servicemen, as well as encountering his colleagues from the SSR, Rogers learns that Barnes' unit was lost in a battle against HYDRA. Despite Philips’ insistence on the vainness of the situation, Rogers refuses to believe that Barnes is dead and becomes determined to mount a solo rescue attempt, receiving help from Carter and Howard Stark, who fly him behind enemy lines. Rogers manages to sneak into HYDRA’s main factory where he finds and frees most of the captive soldiers who begin a riot and start escaping while Rogers continues on to find Barnes, who he discovers in a separate room where he was being operated on. Schmidt, seeing the prisoners escaping and Rogers moving through the facility, sets the factory to self-destruct to cover HYDRA’s operations and evacuate to another facility. As the building begins to detonate, Schmidt confronts Rogers on a high catwalk where he makes light of his similarities to Rogers following their mutual use of the super-soldier serum. Schmidt expresses his belief that they have risen above the visage of normal humans before revealing his face to be a mask, removing it to display the red, skull-like face that earned him the sobriquet "the Red Skull". Schmidt and Zola make their escape while Rogers leads Barnes to the roof where they both barely manage to escape the factory themselves before regrouping with the escaped soldiers and marching back to base. Following the liberation of the Allied prisoners, Rogers gains his superior officers’ respect and acknowledgment as a soldier and is given high rank and the chance to fight as Captain America, as a key figure on the war front opposing HYDRA directly. Rogers recruits Barnes, Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones, Jim Morita, James Montgomery Falsworth and Jacques Dernier as his personal team of Howling Commandos to take out the other known HYDRA operations. Howard Stark outfits Rogers with advanced equipment, including a durable, custom combat uniform and a circular shield made of vibranium. For the next two years, Rogers and his Howling Commandos lead a strong offensive, sabotaging various HYDRA operations, much to Schmidt's frustration. In 1945, the team later assaults a train carrying Zola. Rogers and Barnes engage in a fight with the soldiers on the train, during which Barnes falls from the train to his apparent death, while Jones locates Zola on the train and captures him. Rogers is deeply affected by the loss of his best friend and is convinced by Carter to use his sorrow as motivation to put an end to HYDRA for good. Using information extracted from Zola, the final HYDRA stronghold is located and Rogers leads an attack to stop Schmidt from using weapons of mass destruction on the United States. Rogers climbs aboard the Valkyrie, HYDRA's massive aircraft bomber, as it takes off. During the subsequent fight, a machine containing the Tesseract is damaged. Schmidt physically handles the Tesseract, which opens a wormhole into space, sucking him into it in bright light. The cube falls to the floor, burning through the plane and falling into the ocean. Seeing no way to land the plane without the risk of detonating its weapons, Rogers instead crashes it on the Arctic shelf while making a sorrowful goodbye to Carter, making a promise to take her dancing, knowing he would never be able to make the date. Stark later recovers the Tesseract from the ocean floor but is unable to locate Rogers' body or Schmidt's aircraft. Rogers awakens in a 1940s-style hospital room. Deducing from an anachronistic radio broadcast that he was out of place, he flees outside into what is revealed to be present-day Times Square, where Nick Fury tells him he has been "asleep" for nearly 70 years. Stunned by this revelation, Rogers' only response is that he had a date. Sometime later, Fury approaches Rogers, proposing a mission with worldwide ramifications. Agent Carter Captain Marvel Iron Man Playboy and visionary industrial genius Tony Stark, CEO of leading military defense contractor, Stark Industries, is in war-torn Kunar, Afghanistan with his friend and military liaison, Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes to demonstrate the new "Jericho" missile. While riding in a transport convoy, Stark is critically wounded in an ambush and held captive in a cave by the Ten Rings. An electromagnet built by fellow captive Ho Yinsen keeps the shrapnel that wounded Stark from reaching his heart and killing him. The Ten Rings leader, Raza offers Stark freedom in exchange Stark must build a Jericho missile for the group, but Stark and Yinsen agree that Raza will not keep his word. While pretending to work on the missile, Stark and Yinsen secretly build a powerful electric generator called an Arc Reactor, to power Stark's electromagnet, and then they begin to build a powered suit of armor, designed by Stark, to help them escape. The Ten Rings attack the workshop when they discover Stark's plan, but Yinsen sacrifices himself to distract them while Stark's suit powers up. Using the armored suit, Stark fights his way out of the cave to find a mortally wounded Yinsen, who reassures Stark and urges him to continue his escape and not waste his life. An enraged Stark leaves the cave, burns the terrorist's stockpile of Stark Industries produced weapons and flies away, only then to crash in the desert, destroying his suit. After being rescued by Rhodes, Stark returns home and announces that his company will no longer manufacture weapons, having seen first hand the strife that his weapons had caused in the wrong hands. Obadiah Stane, his father's old partner, and the company's manager advises Stark that this may ruin Stark Industries and his father's legacy. In his home workshop, Stark spends the next few months building an improved version of his suit, as well as a more powerful arc reactor for his chest. At Stark's first public appearance after his return, Christine Everhart informs him that Stark Industries weapons, including the Jericho missile, were recently delivered to the Ten Rings and are being used to attack Yinsen's home village. Stark confronts Stane about the weapons and learns that Stane is trying to replace him as head of the company. Enraged, Stark dons his new armor and flies to Afghanistan, where he saves Gulmira, Yinsen's village. While flying home, Stark is engaged by two F-22 Raptors. He phones Rhodes and reveals his identity in an attempt to call off the attack. Meanwhile, the Ten Rings gathers the pieces of Stark's prototype suit. Raza meets with Stane and offers to exchange the suit with him, however, Stane has the group eliminated and takes the suit for himself. Returning to Stark Industries, Stane orders his scientists to have a new suit reverse engineered from the wreckage. Seeking to find any other weapons delivered to the Ten Rings, Stark sends Pepper Potts to hack into the company computer system from Stane's office. She finds evidence of Stane supplying weapons to the terrorists but also discovers that Stane had originally hired the Ten Rings to kill Stark in Afghanistan, but the group reneged. Potts later meets with Phil Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, a counter-terrorism agency, to inform him of Stane's activities. Stane's scientists reveal that they cannot finish his suit as they cannot duplicate Stark's Arc Reactor. Instead, Stane ambushes Stark at his home, using a Sonic Taser to paralyze him and take his Arc Reactor. Left to die, Stark manages to crawl to his lab and saves himself by re-using his original arc reactor. Potts and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents attempt to arrest Stane, but he dons his suit and attacks them. Stark fights Stane but is outmatched without his new reactor to run his suit at full capacity. Stark lures Stane atop the Stark Industries building and instructs Potts to overload the large Arc Reactor there. This unleashes a massive electrical surge that knocks Stane unconscious, causing him and his armor to fall into the exploding reactor, killing him. The next day, the press has dubbed the armored hero "Iron Man". Agent Coulson gives Stark a cover story to explain the events of the night and Stane's death. At a press conference, Stark begins giving the cover story, but then announces that he is Iron Man. Afterward, Nick Fury visits Stark at home, and, noting that Iron Man is not "the only superhero in the world", says he wants to discuss the Avengers Initiative. Iron Man 2 In Russia, the national media is televising the news conference in which Tony Stark revealed his identity as Iron Man to the world. During this, a sick Anton Vanko dies in the arms of his son, Ivan Vanko, telling him that the only thing he has left to leave him is his knowledge, which turns out to be blueprints for the Arc Reactor. He also tells his son that he has every right to the success that Tony Stark and his family have gained, which motivates Ivan to seek revenge on Stark. Six months later, Stark continues to use the Iron Man suit to protect people and his fame has increased. He reopens the Stark Expo to fulfill his father's dream of endorsing inventors and inventions that will one day benefit the world. As Stark leaves the stage, he notices that his blood toxicity is rising, accompanied by noticeable, damaged veins around his chest, expanding outward. He keeps this secret from everyone. After being summoned to attend a Senate Armed Forces Committee hearing on the existence and threat of the Iron Man armor, and similar suits being developed in retaliation, Senator Stern demands that he hands his armor technology over for military application. Stark, however, refuses as he says that the Iron Man suit and Tony Stark is the same concept and to give it over would be to turn over himself. He then proves that other attempts by foreign powers to duplicate the Iron Man suit have failed miserably and also embarrasses corporate rival Justin Hammer, who had testified against him, by showing he had also made a bungled attempted at creating a prototype. Stark then returns home, where J.A.R.V.I.S. confirms that the toxic levels of his blood have risen; the palladium that is powering the Arc Reactor keeping the shrapnel from reaching his heart is slowly killing him and there are no other suitable replacements. Later, Stark, thinking he will die, makes Pepper Potts CEO of Stark Industries and makes Natalie Rushman his new assistant. At the Monaco Grand Prix, Stark takes out the Formula One driver who is representing Stark Industries and drives it himself, seeking some enjoyment before he dies, despite putting himself in immediate danger. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Vanko or Whiplash has gained a pass to the Monaco Grand Prix through the means of his associate, plotting an attack on Stark, using his modified harness with electric whips. Vanko soon appears on the race track and attacks the racing cars, knowing Stark would come. Stark puts on the portable Mark V suit and, with the aid of Happy Hogan, defeats Vanko. Stark discovers that Ivan is the son of disgraced Russian physicist Anton Vanko, who collaborated on the first Arc Reactor with Stark's father Howard Stark. Vanko is later broken out of jail by Justin Hammer who recruits him to help make his own Iron Man suits and gain revenge on Stark by tarnishing his name and image. Stark throws what he believes will be his last birthday party and promptly proceeds to get drunk while wearing the Mark IV armor. When Stark begins to endanger his party guests by blasting objects out of the air in their vicinity, his friend Lt. Colonel James Rhodes dons the Mark II armor to subdue him. The next day Stark, disgraced and hungover, is approached by Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Rushman - who in reality is Natasha Romanoff, who provides him with a box of his father's old research that can hopefully be used to find a cure for his palladium poisoning. Using his father's research, Stark discovers a message from his father that leads him to examine the original 1974 diorama of the Stark Expo: in reality, a disguised diagram for the molecular structure of a new element. Stark hand-builds a Particle Accelerator with the aid of his computer AI J.A.R.V.I.S. and synthesizes this new element, creating a new, perfected Arc Reactor that cures his palladium poisoning. Realizing Hammer's involvement with Vanko, Stark races to the Stark Expo. At the Stark Expo, Justin Hammer unveils his new military drones, captained by Rhodes in a heavily-weaponized version of the confiscated Mark II armor. Unfortunately, it is soon discovered that Vanko has complete control of both the drones and Rhodes's new armor, and Stark arrives just as they go on the attack. Hammer's attempts to regain control of the drones get him placed into NYPD custody. As Stark battles against these remote-controlled enemies, Happy Hogan and Romanoff race to Hammer's Hammer Industries Headquarters to stop Vanko. By the time they arrive, Vanko has already departed for the Expo in a new, more powerful suit of armor, but Romanoff is able to give Rhodes control of his armor again so that he and Stark can fight Vanko together. The two armored allies combine their powers and successfully take Vanko down, but Vanko's armor and the Hammer Drones are revealed to have been equipped to self-destruct. As they begin to detonate, Stark races to save Potts, flying her to a rooftop where they reconcile and kiss. At a debriefing, Fury informs Stark that while Stark is "unsuitable" for the Avengers Initiative, S.H.I.E.L.D. wants him as a consultant. Stark agrees on the condition that Senator Stern presents him and Rhodes with their medals for bravery. Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson is seen driving to a remote impact crater in the New Mexico desert. Over a phone, he informs Fury that they've found "it", which is revealed to be a mysterious hammer. The Incredible Hulk Bruce Banner recalls the events in which he was transformed into a monster and hospitalized his lover Betty Ross. Ross' father, General Thaddeus Ross, forced Banner to go on the run for years, as he is now a fugitive of the United States Army. Banner finds a home in Rocinha, Brazil, where he works at a soft drink bottling factory and has learned breathing techniques and martial arts to ward off his transformations. He is trying to find a cure with the help of "Mr. Blue", whom he met online. Banner has not had an "incident" for 5 months. When Banner has a cut, his blood drips into a bottle at the factory and is ingested by an ill-fated consumer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ross uses this incident to pick up on Banner's trail and sends British special-ops expert Emil Blonsky with an attack team to capture Banner. Banner then makes an escape to the bottling factory he works in. During the run, he bumps into a gang of thugs, one who was his former enemy at the bottling factory. During the confrontation, Banner transforms into the Hulk at the bottling factory and takes out the thugs and everyone on the team. Before the Hulk escapes, Blonsky, the last soldier alive, takes a good look at the Hulk, before Hulk throws a forklift truck at him, which he barely survives. Banner escapes and goes to Guatemala, and then the US, where he finds the now recovered Betty Ross at Culver University, dating psychiatrist Leonard Samson. Banner's friend Stanley Lieber (a pizzeria owner) gives him a job as a delivery boy. He uses this job to continue his research by sneaking past a security guard at the university. Ross sees Banner at the pizzeria, and they later reunite. Ross is informed by Blonsky that Banner escaped because of a green monster. Ross continues to explain that Banner was the monster, created by a failed experiment meant to replicate the "Super-Soldier" program. Blonsky volunteers to be given a small dose of an altered Super-Soldier serum (another failed experiment but considered "very promising") that increases his strength and agility. Blonsky leads a second attack on Banner at Culver University, where he and his team encounter the Hulk and are defeated. Hulk saves Ross from an explosion and he takes her to the Smoky Mountain National Forest. Banner and Ross go to Grayburn College in New York City to meet Mr. Blue, who is revealed to be Samuel Sterns. Sterns invented a potential antidote, and Banner accepts it, despite the risks. Banner is restrained and a transformation is induced but was successfully reversed through Sterns' antidote. Sterns revealed that he synthesized Banner's blood into a large supply, in hopes of using it in the next stage of human evolution. While Banner tries to convince him otherwise, he is suddenly tranquilized by one of Ross' snipers. Ross and Banner are taken into custody, while Blonsky confronts Sterns and asks him to give him a sample of Banner's blood to add to his power. Sterns warns that the Super Soldier serum and Gamma Radiation together could create an "abomination", but Blonsky doesn't change his mind. The procedure transforms Blonsky into a Hulk-like monster who knocks Sterns into a sample of Banner's blood and goes on a rampage through Harlem looking for something that could challenge his new strength as well as to lure Hulk out. Despite his fears that he has cured himself of Hulk permanently, Banner is given permission to fight Blonsky and jumps from General Ross' helicopter in an attempt to re-trigger his transformations. Banner emerges from a crater in the street below as Hulk and proceeds to face Blonsky. Hulk manages to defeat Blonsky after a lengthy, destructive and harsh fight while also protecting Betty and General Ross, who had been put in harm's way but is again forced to run from the US Army. Thirty-one days later, Banner is in Bella Coola, British Columbia trying to learn how to control his transformations, instead of curing them. Later, General Ross is in a bar, where Tony Stark then confronts Ross and talks about a "team" being made. Thor Two physicists, Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, and Darcy Lewis, is in the New Mexico desert, working from the van while conducting research on an aurora-borealis-type phenomenon. Suddenly a large tornado/lightning storm develops and they drive towards it to investigate. The van hits a man from inside the maelstrom and they stop. They find a man, a well-built blond, semi-conscious. In Asgard, Odin describes a battle between the Frost Giants and Asgardians. The Asgardians win, take possession of the powerful Casket of Ancient Winters, and return to their realm. Odin is talking to his two sons, energetic Thor and a more thoughtful Loki. Odin says both of them are worthy but only one can be king of Asgard. Thor, now an adult, prepares for a ceremony where he would be formally recognized as crown prince. Loki looks on enviously. Before Odin can follow through with the proclamation, he senses the presence of intruders. Three Frost Giants infiltrate the secure rooms that hold the Casket. However, the Destroyer appears and stops the intruders from reattaining the casket, killing all three. Examining the remains, Odin seems calm, yet Thor is angry and wants to attack. Odin disagrees. Thor gathers Loki and his close friends, Volstagg, Fandral, Hogun, and Sif, and they ride out to the Bifrost Bridge. Heimdall allows them to pass and the six are transported to the Frost Giants' domain, Jotunheim, a frozen, crumbling wasteland. They confront Laufey who taunts the Asgardian warriors. More Frost Giants surround the six as Laufey allows them the chance to leave peacefully. Loki manages to persuade his brother into accepting the offer and they prepare to depart. However, Thor reacts brashly to a Frost Giant's insult and a battle starts. During the battle, Loki experiences an unusual reaction when he is touched by a Frost Giant. Laufey releases a Frost Beast and the Asgardians retreat to the Bifrost. Thor kills the beast but once again the team is surrounded and things look desperate. Odin arrives and intervenes to save the warriors, apologizing to Laufey for the intrusion and attempting to reinstate peace, but Laufey states that they are beyond reason, that the Frost Giants are now at war with Asgard. He attempts to stab Odin, who blasts Laufey back and takes the young Asgardians home. Back at the Asgard side of the portal, Odin lets the four friends go and confronts Thor and Loki. Odin is furious that Thor has dragged Asgard back into war, and tells Thor he is not fit to be king. Loki tries to calm his father but is quickly silenced. Odin strips Thor of his power, banishes him to Earth and sends his hammer, Mjølnir, after him a few seconds later, saying that whosoever wields the hammer, and is worthy of it, shall possess the power of Thor. On Earth, Thor is immediately hit by Foster's van as they drive into the storm he emerged from. Thor faintly begins to question where he is and becomes aggressive to the point that Lewis tases him, knocking him out. The three scientists load him into their van and take him to the hospital. Once again he starts fighting as he wakes up and he is eventually tranquilized. Selvig tries to get Foster to leave him be, saying he is some kind of nut, but she is curious and attracted to him. When the scientists return to their outpost in town they discover S.H.I.E.L.D. confiscating all of their equipment and research in connection to the recent atmospheric disturbances, and the appearance of Thor's hammer. Unsure of what to do, the trio goes back to the hospital but Thor has escaped. As they drive off in the van, they hit the Asgardian man again and knock him out, but this time they take him with them. Foster gives him civilian clothes that belonged to her ex-boyfriend. After overhearing locals discussing a satellite crash 50 miles due west, Thor decides to go there and once again Selvig tries to get Foster to leave him alone. Thor walks about the town and tries to get a horse in a pet store. Foster appears and gives him a ride and the two head west in the van. At the satellite crash site, a crowd of local townspeople has gathered; people are partying and trying to lift the hammer from the crater. Later, S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives and takes over the site, setting up a temporary camp to study the hammer. After dark, Foster and Thor arrive on the scene. Thor infiltrates the encampment while Foster huddles in safety. After beating up many agents, and being targeted by Clint Barton, Thor finally reaches the hammer but is unable to lift it. He howls at his powerlessness and drops to the ground, putting up no fight as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents close in and take him. In Asgard, Thor's four friends begin to suspect Loki had something to do with Thor's banishment. Loki realizes that he is not a pure Asgardian and Odin admits that Loki was taken from Jotunheim as an infant and raised as his own. Loki is confused and angry as Odin falls into a coma-like state called the "Odinsleep", leaving Loki to become acting king. Back on Earth, Phil Coulson questions Thor, and when he leaves him alone briefly, Loki appears in the room. Loki tells Thor that Odin is dead and he cannot come back to Asgard, leaving Thor distraught. Selvig, with a faked driver license, arrives and lies to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, telling them that Thor is Foster's ex-husband and is under the influence of steroids. Coulson lets Selvig take Thor, who surreptitiously grabs Foster's notebook on the way out. Back in town, Selvig takes Thor out for a drink, now trying to convince Thor to leave Foster alone due to the complications he has and would continue to cause her. The two chug boilermakers and bond. Thor brings the drunk Selvig to Foster's trailer. Thor and Foster go outside to gaze at the stars, and Thor explains the Nine Realms and the Bifrost Bridge to her. She figures the bridge is the theoretical Einstein-Rosen Bridge wormhole, the very same that she has been researching. Loki freezes Heimdall and uses the Bifrost to meet with Laufey. It is revealed that Loki was the one who let the Frost Giants into Asgard to try to retrieve the casket during Thor's coronation. He makes a deal with Laufey that he will let them into Asgard again to kill Odin and have their casket, and in return, they will return home in peace. Loki then commands the Destroyer to go to Earth and kill Thor. The Destroyer arrives in the New Mexico desert and starts blasting everything with a heat ray. Thor and the three scientists attempt to get everyone away safely. Thor confronts the Destroyer and asks Loki, who can see and hear what is going on from Asgard, to leave the humans alone in return for himself. The Destroyer gives Thor a vicious backhand slap and sends him tumbling, apparently dead. Jane runs to the body in tears. However, Thor's selfless act of protection proves him worthy to once again wield Mjølnir, which frees itself from the crater and returns to Thor's hand. He is restored to full life and vigor and once again fitted in his red cape and armor. He easily defeats the Destroyer and tries to return to Asgard, promising Foster he will return. The Frost Giants invade Asgard through the portal, walking past the frozen Heimdall. Laufey goes to Odin's bedchamber and, as he prepares to kill the Norse god, Loki kills Laufey to appear to be the hero. Although frozen, Heimdall is conscious and manages to break free and brings Thor back to Asgard. Thor flies quickly to fight the Frost Giants. Loki goes to the Heimdall's Observatory and sets the bridge up to destroy the ice planet Jotunheim. Thor tries to stop him and the two engage in combat. Thor immobilizes Loki with Mjølnir and starts to destroy the Rainbow Bridge to stop the portal. When the bridge shatters, the two brothers fall into space but Odin arrives and catches Thor, who holds Loki's staff. Loki admits defeat and allows himself to fall, disappearing into the void. All seems back to normal on Asgard, although Odin is saddened by the turn of events. Thor mourns for his brother and misses Jane Foster, whom he is unable to visit with the Bifrost now destroyed. However, Heimdall, gazing out over the severed edge of the Rainbow Bridge, assures him that Foster is looking for him. Back on Earth, Foster is in a new lab with new equipment, now being assisted by S.H.I.E.L.D. Afterward, Selvig has been taken to the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility where he meets Nick Fury. Fury shows him the Tesseract in a briefcase, which he says could be a source of unlimited power. Loki appears in a reflection, invisible to Selvig and Fury, and says "Well, I guess that's worth a look," which Selvig repeats due to Loki's subtle influence. The Avengers After being exiled from the Nine Realms following his actions in Asgard, Loki wanders the periphery of outer space before coming into contact with The Other, the servant of a mysterious warlord. The Other makes a deal with Loki: in exchange for recovering the Tesseract, a powerful energy source being studied by S.H.I.E.L.D. on Earth, his master promises to give Loki command over the Chitauri, a warmongering race of cyborgs, so he may conquer humanity. Seeing this as a chance for greatness, Loki accepts. On Earth, Nick Fury and Maria Hill are called to the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility in the Mojave Desert where the Tesseract is being researched by Erik Selvig. The Tesseract has recently begun emitting strange quantities of energy on its own accord, prompting the facility to be evacuated. Before any necessary precautions can be made, the Tesseract activates, opening a portal from which Loki appears. Announcing his intention to conquer Earth, Loki steals the Tesseract and uses the Scepter, given to him by the Other, to enslave the minds of Selvig, Clint Barton and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, aiding him in his getaway. Despite the efforts of Fury and Hill to stop him, Loki escapes. In response to the attack, Fury reactivates the Avengers Initiative. Despite orders from the World Security Council to proceed with Phase 2, Fury sends Natasha Romanoff to locate Bruce Banner, who has been living in Kolkata, India as a doctor, and Phil Coulson to recruit Tony Stark; both of them are recruited to help locate the Tesseract. Fury himself meets with Steve Rogers, informing him of Loki's theft of the Tesseract, requesting his help in recovering it and subduing the invader. All three men accept the offer, though Rogers is reluctant to do anything involving the Tesseract after his experiences with it in World War II. Banner is also hesitant to assist, fearing that his alter-ego, Hulk, may cause mayhem. The group gathers on the Helicarrier, where Banner starts tracking the gamma radiation emitted by the Tesseract, while S.H.I.E.L.D tries to find Loki. In the meantime, Loki uses the scepter to communicate with The Other, who warns him that if he fails, the consequences will be unspeakable. Shortly after cutting off contact, Loki is discovered in Stuttgart, Germany, and attacks a man named Heinrich Schafer before he terrorizes a crowd of people attending a gala, providing a distraction so that the brainwashed Barton may retrieve Iridium to stabilize the Tesseract. Romanoff and Rogers arrive to apprehend Loki, with Rogers and Loki engaging in an even fight until the timely intervention of Stark, forcing Loki to surrender. After capturing him, they board a Quinjet and start their return trip to the Helicarrier, when a lightning storm suddenly forms, and out of nowhere, Thor appears, having been transported to Earth by Odin. Thor takes Loki from the group's custody and carries him to a nearby forest. Thor attempts to persuade Loki into abandoning his campaign and returning to Asgard, but Loki, blinded by his jealousy of Thor and contempt towards Odin, refuses. Stark flies in and attacks Thor, engaging him in a battle that levels part of the forest. Before any further damage can be done, Rogers intervenes and attempts to get Thor to stand down; Thor responds by lunging at Rogers with Mjølnir, only for the captain's shield to absorb the blow. Thor finally agrees to work with the humans and joins them in returning Loki to the Helicarrier. On the Helicarrier, Loki is imprisoned inside a cage designed to hold Banner as the Hulk, and Fury attempts to interrogate him regarding the Tesseract's location, but Loki remains silent. Thor reveals Loki's plan to the Avengers: with the Tesseract, Loki hopes to open a portal that will allow the Chitauri access to Earth, thus beginning an alien invasion. While Stark and Banner work on locating the Tesseract, Stark is intrigued by Banner's level of control over the Hulk and shocks him to see how he would react. Rogers is clearly annoyed by Stark's erratic behavior and disrespect towards authority and tries to get him to follow orders more carefully, instigating a rivalry between the two. Amidst their arguments, they begin to question S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intentions, deducing that Fury was hiding something regarding their plans with the Tesseract. Stark reveals that he had begun hacking the agency's mainframe to unlock their secrets, while Rogers leaves to investigate the restricted areas of the Helicarrier for himself. Both Stark and Rogers' investigations stumble upon "Phase 2", which they realize is, in fact, a program using the Tesseract to make weapons. The Avengers confront Fury with their discoveries, to which he reveals that S.H.I.E.L.D. began using the Tesseract to manufacture weapons in response to the incident with the Destroyer in New Mexico the previous year, which revealed to humanity the existence of powerful and potentially hostile alien life. A massive argument ensues, during which Barton, accompanied by various soldiers also working for Loki, attack the Helicarrier, crippling one of its engines. The resulting explosion destroys the lab that the group is in, causing Romanoff and Banner to fall into the boiler area, where they are trapped by wreckage. Despite Romanoff's attempts at calming him down, the injured Banner transforms into the Hulk and chases Romanoff throughout the Helicarrier. Thor comes to her rescue and brawls with Banner, only to be outclassed in strength. A S.H.I.E.L.D. jet attempts to lure Banner away from Thor, only for Banner to leap at the jet and tear it apart. The jet explodes, and Banner is sent careening away from the Helicarrier. Rogers and Stark try to repair the damaged engine, but their efforts are hindered by Loki's underlings. Romanoff confronts Barton, and after an intense fight, she is able to break Loki's control by delivering a concussive blow to Barton's head. Thor attempts to prevent Loki from escaping but is tricked by an illusion of Loki and trapped in his former prison cell. Coulson attempts to save Thor, but Loki stabs him through the chest with his scepter and then jettisons Thor from the Helicarrier. Thor breaks free from the cell at the last second, landing in a field. Rogers and Stark are eventually able to overcome their aggressors and get the Helicarrier airborne again, but the victory is bittersweet as Loki escapes and Coulson dies from his injury. Fury attempts to use Coulson's death to motivate the Avengers into cooperating as a team, but Rogers and Stark get into another argument. Amidst their argument, the two realize that Loki plans to open the portal above Stark Tower, at the center of New York City, in an attempt to satisfy his own ego. Rogers, Romanoff, and Barton take a Quinjet to New York City, following Stark in his suit. Stark arrives first, failing to stop Selvig from using the Tesseract, in conjunction with a device he built, to open the portal. Stark confronts Loki, the two engaging in a brief battle of wits, with Stark failing to intimidate Loki with threats regarding the Avengers. Loki unsuccessfully tries to possess Stark, as his Arc Reactor physically blocks the scepter's power, and instead throws him through a window. Fortunately, Stark manages to activate his Mark VII armor, which attaches itself to Stark before he can hit the ground. Stark then attempts to incapacitate Loki, but Selvig's device activates, opening a portal above New York from which the Chitauri fleet emerges, beginning Loki's invasion. Rogers, Romanoff, Barton, and Thor soon arrive and assist Stark against the Chitauri. Not expecting such resistance, the Chitauri are initially overwhelmed, but their sheer numbers soon become an issue. Banner arrives on a motorbike and uses a special technique he mastered to willingly transform into the Hulk, giving the Avengers an edge against the Chitauri. The team fights through hordes of Chitauri, and during the battle, Loki is attacked by Banner and beaten into submission. Romanoff makes her way to Selvig's device, where Selvig, freed of Loki's control, reveals that Loki's scepter can be used to close the portal. Meanwhile, the World Security Council attempts to end the invasion by launching a nuclear missile at Manhattan. Iron Man intercepts the missile and takes it through the portal toward the Chitauri fleet before running out of power and plummeting back to Earth. Banner catches Stark as he falls, while the Chitauri fleet is decimated by the nuclear explosion, effectively disabling the Chitauri forces on Earth. Romanoff then closes the portal, the battle finally won. The world changed forever, is taken over by the idea of a superhero team. Avengers become the center of media attention, admired by the public as heroes, but are also met with some concern and fear, with some finding their appearance during the battle to be too coincidental. All joining in Central Park, the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. watch as Thor escorts Loki and the Tesseract to Asgard. Afterward, the Avengers diverge, though Fury notes that at such a time that a new world-threatening menace emerges, the team will reassemble. Meanwhile, the Other meets with Thanos and informs him of Loki's failure. He shares his concerns over the strength of Earth's heroes, commenting that attempting to challenge them again would be "to court Death" at what Thanos smiled sadistically. Before they had disassembled, the Avengers gathered at an empty Shawarma Palace and eat in silence. Phase 2 Iron Man 3 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Thor: The Dark World Captain America: The Winter Soldier Guardians of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Daredevil Jessica Jones Avengers: Age of Ultron Ant-Man Luke Cage Iron Fist Cloak & Dagger Inhumans The Defenders Phase 3 Captain America: Civil War Black Panther Spider-Man: Homecoming The Punisher Doctor Strange Thor: Ragnarok Runaways Avengers: Infinity War Ant-Man and the Wasp Avengers: Endgame Spider-Man: Far From Home Category:Lists of film characters __FORCETOC__ Category:Shared Universes